Pneumatic playing device for musical instruments



Sept. 14 1926.

R. BARTHOLOM PNEUMATIC PLAYING DEVICE FOR MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS Filed Feb. 2s. 192'4 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Sept; 14, 1926. 1,600,160

R. BARTHOLOME PNEUMATIC PLAYING EVICE FOR MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS Filed Feb. 25. 1924 2 sheets-Sheet 2 Lancim B .Ba-lr'lbzorn gays- Patented Sept. 14, 1926.

ROBERT BAnTHoLoM,

PATENT OFFICE.

OF BERLIN, GERMANY.

PNEUMATIC PLAYING DEVICE FOR MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.

Application led February 23, 1924, Serial My invention relates to an improved pneumatic playing device preferably for a self-playing piano or other `musical instruments, of the type in which the pneumatic devices are controlled by an endless perforated music sheet o erated by a roller system to travel over t e tracket-board without any interruption, if desired, so as to repeat the tune or tunes recorded in the music sheet, until the music. is stopped.

The object rof my invention is to provide means to permit ready changing of the sheets, that is to say, to permit easy removal of the sheet from the instrument and substitution of a fresh sheet therefor. With this object in View, I provide and arrange the tracker-board and the channel board supporting the latter in a projecting manner `,taking off the spent music-sheet and replacing the same by a new one upon lifting of the upper roller of the system of rollers, through which the sheet is frictionally moved during the play;

Vith the above recited and other objects in View the invention resides in the novel construction set forth in the following specitication and illustrated in the accompanying` drawings. In the drawings: Q i

igure l is a side view of my lmprovecl construction.

Fig. 2 is a front view of the same.

Fig. 8 is a sectional perspective view of a portion of the same ta 7en on the line 3 3 of Figure 2; and

Fig. 4 is a front view of a musical instrument, on a reduced scale, with my new device installed therein and with part of the front wall broken away.

The music sheet a consists of a strip or length of tough but flexible paper, the two ends of which are firmly united by means of glue or the like to form an endless band. The perforations b in said sheet are of the size and location as usual in music sheets for use in pneumatic self-playin instruments.

he tracker-board c, together with its Supporting parts, is constructed and formed No. 694,717, and in Germany April 1, 1922.

in the manner of a jib or bracket with its downwardly extending member forming channel board d in which the channels or passages e are provided. The lower end of the channel board (Z is connected with a horizontally mounted body having similar channels or passages f which are in communication with the channels or passages e respectively and which communicate with the wind-chest and the change-valves, respectively, (not shown) in the usual manner, as will be readily understood by persons versed in the art.

Below the body f, a box g, may be provided for the reception of the depending portion music-sheet, as may be seen in Figure l. The sheet illustrated is endless and the operation is such that a portion thereof lies within the box g; and this portion constantly changes as the sheet is constantly drawn up at one side in order to pass over the tracker-board, and allowed to descend at the other side, until the music piece is finished and the music stopped. But as the music sheet has yno interruption and the music piece therein is, from beginning to end, an endless iexible band, the sheet can be repeated as many times as desired without stopping the music at any time.

The means for driving the music sheet a comprise a roughened metallic roller h suitably journaled in stationary bearings e' and having an elongated journal or pin 7c with a toothed wheel Z keyed thereto and engaging in a spur wheel m on a shaft, to which a chain wheel n, is keyed. The latter is driven by means of a chain (not shown) in the usual manner, say with the aid of a wind-motor or any other appropriate motor, whereby the roller L may be rotated at any desired speed. The driving means further comprises a second heavy metallic roller o which likewise may be roughened either over the whole of its peripheral surface or on a portion thereof, such as p, which may be of a somewhat greater diameter than the two end portions of the roller, as may be clearly seen in Figure 2. The roller o is mounted with its two journals g in vertical slots r of the bearing cheeks, so as to be free to rise and to be removed from contact with the roller h for the purpose of Cil '"iction, any appr L er of the spriA 1,' j:l f i 'i Y bf i' I `with the 4,.o Y i ctoryv friction?LL pressure. i be froifidcd on the opposite si cker-board for supporting` and the music sheet.

Freely running` guiding rollers, such as s, are in common use in the engineering` practice, but the employment of a roller of the kind in connec 'on with a set of superposed rollers on one side of the tracker-board of a pneumatically playing: musical instrument, for the purpose indicated, appears to be novel.

Music sheets of the kind, either open or closed, mayv also be used in combination with tracker-boards of a construction different from that shown. Hence my invention is likewise applicable in combination with tracker-boards of known construction provided, however, that the musical instrument is of the pneumatic and automatic type. ln case the instrument is operated by manumotiif'e power, the returning or descending portion of the music sheet traveling down in front of the trackerboard would obstruct the View of the player.

The section or" the instrument or of the easing thereof in which the music sheet and its driving device is housec may be provided w'th a door in order to facilitate access for insertingl and removing the sheets. Figure 4 shows in dotted lines a door u for the purpose, in opened position and hinged to the side wall of the casing.

F rom the foregoing, it is believed that the rantages and novel features of my invention will be readily understood and, therefore, further detail description is deemed unnecessari7 ln redueinO m Y invention to practice I.

find, however, that the form referr u to herein as the most practical and preferred mbodiment, is the most ellicient, but realizing that certain conditions will necessarilj.v vary in concurrence with the adoption of my device, l desire to emphasize the fact that various minor changes in the details of construction and in the arrangement of parts may be resorted to when requir d or desired without thereby sacrificing any of the of my invention as defined in the appended claims.

vthat l claim is:

l. ln a musical instrument of the type set forth, a hori ntally extending tracker board having;v apertured surface horizontall)Y disposed and adapted to supportan endless perfor:` music sheet, a vertically disposed channel board arranged beneath supporting said tracker board and havpassage rays communicating with the .,tures in the tracker' board, and a subutiallyv horizontal member connected to sa u channel board and having passagewapys con'nnunicating with the passageways of the channel board, said member being connected to the channel board at one side edge portion only of the latter to permit the endless music sheet to be placed about the channel board and over the tracker board from the other side edge portion the channel board.

9. A musical instrument as claimed in claim l including a feeding roller arranged at one side of said tracker board, bearings connected with the tracker board, a second feeding roller mounted in said bearings and superposed on the first mentioned feeding roller, said second roller being movable toward and away from the first roller to permit the insertion of the musical sheet between the roller or the removal ofthe sheet from between the rollers, and an enlargement provided on the second roller and adapted to frictionally engage said music sheet.

A musical instrument as claimed in claim l including upper and lower feeding rollers arranged at one side of the tracker board and adapted to feed the musical sheet over the tracker board, the upper roller beingl movable toward and away from the lower roller and being providedV with an enlargement at its center to frictionally ene gage a music sheet, said enlargement and the surface of the lower roller being roughened to facilitate feeding of the sheet.

l. In an automatic piano of the upright type, a casing having a vertical compartment at one of its ends extending from the top to the bottom of the casing, a substantiall;v horizontally disposed member arranged lengthwise within the casingr and haring passageways, said member projecting into said compartment, a verticallyv disposed channel board having one of its side edge portions onlyv connected to said member, arranged in said compartment and haring pasways communicating with the passagei s of said member', and a horizontally eX- tei'idinp` tracker board arranged at the top of the channel board and havinr an apertured surface adapted to support an endless perforated music sheet, said apertures communieatingr with the passageways of the channel board, said channel board and tracker board being so arranged that the endless music sheet may be placed on the tracker board by moving' the music sheet horizontally endwise of the channel board.

:1A musical instrument as claimed in claim l includingr a lower driven roller arranged at one side of the tracker' board in close proximity to said surface for feeding and a third roller arranged at the opposite side of the tracker board and adapted to assist in supporting the sheet as it passes over l0 said board.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

ROBERT BARTHOLOM. 

